Simulation Primer
Introduction
Welcome to the USS Challenger NCC-2457! The Challenger is a 23rd century Excelsior Refit class starship set in the year 2294 and is commanded by Captain Rolf Seiben and Commander Saul DeGenza. The USS Challenger launched on Sunday 10 February, 2008 to begin its new chapter of peace and exploration facing new enemies and new allies along the way. The Challenger sim started as an Enterprise era sim set in the 22nd century on 12 September, 2004.
As STSF's first in-house sim, the NX Class Challenger NX-05 set the stage for exploration and peace in its time and initiated first contact with many species, met new allies and faced off with powerful enemies over its three and a half year run. The USS Challenger aims to continue and expand on the traditions of its namesake in a new phase of peace for the Federation.
Welcome
Congratulations on your new post aboard the USS Challenger! Whether you are a recent academy graduate who has proved that you knew the required criteria to graduate the academy system or a veteran advanced player looking to join us as an additional sim, there are some aspects of the game that you might not be aware of. You'll need to be aware of the following items enclosed in this packet. Some of these items apply specifically to the Challenger game and other advanced simulations may follow slightly different guidelines. These guidelines act as a supplement to the official STSF rules, so please make sure you are familiar with these as well.
Attendance
Recalling back to your academy days, you'll remember that attendance was not mandatory. You could attend whichever academy you liked, whenever you liked, and as often as you liked. But with advanced simulations; Challenger included, this is now certainly not the case. As an advanced player, you will be part of a crew that you will work with on a permanent weekly basis. As such, your presence to the sim will be very important. As part of a team, your consistent presence will be required, and any absences may have a negative impact to the plot.
But that doesn't mean that you have to attend all 52 weeks in the year. Nobody expects you to do that, and sometimes real life does get in the way. All we ask, is if you know you are going to have to miss a game is that you email us notifying us of your planned absence. You can either do this using the crew mail string, or by emailing myself and/or Commander DeGenza. That way, we can plan that week's plot around your absence. Sometimes though, there are times when something suddenly comes up and you cannot give advanced notice. This is also part of life, and you needn't worry about that either. Again, simply email the command staff or the mail string explaining your absence.
Please remember though that your absences should not be too frequent. Even with advance notice, constant absences from the sim on the part of a player does still have negative repercussions to the plot as well as the game as a whole. If you find that you no longer have the time/interest to attend the sim, then perhaps you should re-evaluate your commitment to the sim. You can either start attending more sims (to regain interest in the game, and let it grow on you – and it eventually should) or simply leave altogether. Players with no desire to sim simply take up roster space.
Leave of Absence
If you require to take an extended period off the sim, for whatever reason, then we can grant you a Leave of Absence (LOA). Leave of Absences should not exceed a period of three months. Beyond this, the command staff reserves the spot to relinquish your position to another player, reduce you in rank or to remove you from the sim entirely. If you miss four sims in a row, you may be automatically be played as LOA, and your post may be relinquished to someone else.
Attendance Matters
All matters concerning attendance shall fall to the Executive Officer (XO). The XO serves as assistant GM of the simulation and shall be accorded all due privileges. Please take note of the following matters:
- Players who are absent for three weeks without notice will receive a written warning
- If no contact is still made after the fourth week, the player will be placed in the inactive roster. Player information will be forwarded to the GM string to notify any future hosts.
- Please contact the Commanding and Executive Officers if you require vacation or emergency leave as a courtesy to your fellow crew for a smooth continuation of the storyline.
Ranks and Promotions
Players joining the Challenger generally start out at the rank of ensign, though exceptions can sometimes be made based on the applicant's experience. Promotions to the next highest ranks remain at the discretion of the GM staff. Attendance, performance, participation and logs are all factors in deciding promotions for players.
A rank structure has been set up in order to maintain a solid chain of command. As is the case in Starfleet and in the military., a chain of command is essential in maintaining order. Players who show solid problem solving, leadership and communication skills tend to make a more efficient Senior Officer. Junior officers are generally expected to input ideas in which the Senior Officers will work with. These are all considered in a player's promotion in addition to consistent attendance and log writing, and good etiquette.
Rank Structure
- Ensign
- This is the rank that you will generally start at when you join the Challenger. This is the rank where the least is expected of you as you generally are still getting started and familiarising yourself with the ship, the crew and the way we sim. With few responsibilities, being an ensign allows you a bit more creativity and flexibility than with other ranks.
- Lieutenant (junior grade)
- The next rank up from Ensign is Lieutenant Junior Grade. This is the easiest rank to get as all you need to do is show good attendance, write a couple of logs and be on your best behaviour. Players at this rank, should start to show problem solving skills (as will be mentioned later on in this packet)
- Lieutenant (senior grade)
- This rank marks the start of that of a senior officer. To attain the rank of Lieutenant, you should have shown a certain degree of problem solving as well as excellent simming skills. Here is a good place to start trying to come up with ideas beneficial to the other players, allowing some leeway for them to contribute.
- Lieutenant Commander
- As the highest rank one can get without becoming a GM, a Lieutenant Commander is to act as a leader, role model and good example to the rest of the crew. Working with the rest of the crew as well as the command staff, it is the job of this player to receive ideas from their assistants and work with them and the command staff to turn these ideas into reality.
- It is a rank that entails a lot of responsibility, but they are used to it, having gotten this far up the ladder. Now is the time to hone those leadership skills you started learning as a Lieutenant. If you enjoy this role, and take to it well, then you may just have what it takes to become a GM.
- Command
- Ranks higher than Lieutenant Commander are reserved only for GM staff. Players cannot attain these ranks unless they successfully undergo and pass GM training. Command positions cannot be given out unless a GM applies for and is successfully placed in an open command slot. Ranks held by GM staff typically include Commander (Cmdr), Captain (Capt), Commodore (Comdr), Rear Admiral (Rear Adm) and Admiral (Adm)
Other Ranks
Players seeking a different change of pace, or variety may choose to serve in the Challenger as either a non-commissioned officer or as a Marine, in the Starfleet Marine Corps (SFMC). Marines and non-commissioned officers have slightly different ranks than regular commissioned crew.
Starfleet Marine Corps
For over 800 years the citizens of earth and the United Federation of Planets have required an expeditionary force capable of rapid self-sustained deployment via a multitude of methods. Additionally this force has been required to provide protection to ships from the blue waters of earth to the inky blackness of space. For these eight centuries those beings have been known as Marines. The Star Fleet Marine Corps (SFMC) is the expeditionary arm of the United Federation of Planets. Deployable from shipboard detachments or specialized assault transports, the Marines supply a lasting ground presence for the UFP.
On the Challenger, Marines serve in conjunction with Security, and are Starfleet's elite fighting corps, usually taking on dangerous missions others cannot or will not be able to undergo. Like security, Marines are typically part of away teams, boarding parties or calls on intruder alerts in the ship, and assist in the general defense of the ship as well as engage enemies on or off the ship.
SFMC Rank Structure
| Marine Rank and Abbreviation | Starfleet Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 2nd Lieutenant (2Lt) | Ensign |
| 1st Lieutenant (1Lt) | Lieutenant (jg) |
| Marine Captain (M Capt) | Lieutenant (sg) |
| Major (Maj) | Lieutenant Commander |
| Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.) | Commander |
| Colonel (Col) | Captain |
| Brigadier General (B Gen) | Rear Admiral |
| Lieutenant General | Vice Admiral |
| General (Gen) | Admiral |
| Field Marshall (F Mar) | Fleet Admiral |
